In exile in the U.S., Ethiopian journalist struggles forward

After almost a year in exile in America, an icy ocean away
from his home in Ethiopia, journalist Samson Mekonnen, left, only recently received
his work permit in Washington. In the interim, like most journalists undergoing
the emotionally and financially grueling resettlement process, he has relied on
friends, family, and international organizations like CPJ to
support himself and his family while his petition for asylum navigates the
bureaucratic waters.

Back in Ethiopia, Mekonnen reported on everything from
government corruption and famine to sports and social issues, earning the ire
of the authorities as a result. After suffering nearly seven years of
increasingly aggressive state brutality, the journalist told me he fled for his
life in November 2009, along with his then-expecting wife.

"What makes life here so difficult is that nobody can
understand the pain of what I've been through in Ethiopia," said Mekonnen. "It
makes everything hard. I can't forget."

Journalists under extreme threat have two painful options
before them: to either remain in their home countries at the risk of suffering
a fate like Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha
Wickramatunga, who prophesied his own murder in an editorial
written shortly before his death, or to flee and entirely and forsake the profession
for which they have endured so much. At least 85 journalists fled their homes
worldwide between June of 2009 and 2010, 42 from the continent of Africa alone,
according to CPJ's June 2010 exile
report. Ethiopia, along with Somalia and Iran, marked the nations with the
highest exile rate this last year, with 15 Ethiopian journalists leaving the
country compared to only two between 2008 and 2009.

Less than one-third of all resettled journalists continue to
work in the field, CPJ research shows. Even after surviving the lengthy
bureaucratic asylum process with no legal allowances to support themselves, the
linguistic and cultural differences they contend with can force accomplished
journalists to take any employment opportunities they can find.

"Of course, I wish I could work as a journalist here in the
U.S.," Mekonnen told me recently, "But how am I to do it? My English skills are
a barrier, I have no contacts. How can I be recognized for my experience? Where
am I to start?" Even once asylum has been granted, there are few adequate
resources--such as cultural orientation, affordable language classes, or job
training services--for refugees.

As part of Ethiopia's diaspora community, Mekonnen says he that
expatriates cannot truly reach their countrymen even if they were to start
reporting again. Only Internet-savvy users can circumvent the widespread
censorship of foreign-based Web sites about politics and human rights,
including CPJ's homepage, which the Ethiopian government has blocked. Few
Ethiopians regularly access the internet; connections are tiresomely slow. "Any
news Web sites founded by overseas Ethiopians won't reach the people back
home," he said. "The government would ban them right away, and, in any case,
not many people have proper access to the Internet."

However, despite the harsh realities of resettlement,
Mekonnen is still optimistic. "Whatever else is said, we don't give up in
Ethiopia," he insisted. "Even if we cannot reach the Ethiopian people from
abroad, we can still reach the international community, and the USA, and urge
them not to support a government which brutalizes its own citizens."

Since the move to America, Mekonnen and his wife have been
taking care of their months-old infant, born after their arrival. Now that his
work permit has finally come through after almost a year of anxious waiting,
the journalist says he and his family can embark on the heavy task of
rebuilding their lives.

Alia Ahmed, a former intern in CPJ's Journalist Assistance program, is a journalist based in Karachi, Pakistan. She has lived and studied in the United States, South Africa, Lebanon, Pakistan, and France.

Comments

First and foremost thank you CPJ, with out you Mekonnen his fallow Ethiopian journalists who tirelessly reporting of brutal, barbaric and criminal acts of Meles regime wouldn't get such a recognition fore their hard fight. And also doing o much for the world of journalists and human right. Mekonnen be strong things will change for good soon. We went through what your going through here in the state. I’m just wondering how long tit takes to educate all these governments about barbaric dictators like Meles. Isn’t enough all the report and education they get from the journalists, activists, CPJ and human right activists. More things to say but it have been said so much. In Ethiopian official language Amharic we call it “HODE YECHALEW”

I am one of the victims of this brutal regime. I had visions and dreams to serve my country and the people through the sport sector. Unfortunately, all the dreams have gone now. I don't know how I should serve the motherland. Fortunately, thanks to face book, I could contribute a bit. But the real question is 'for how long?'

I have two feelings about the profession when I re-consider my move as a refugee outside Ethiopia. One, those who are outside Ethiopia have the freedom to write & comment but they are far from the real resource of the news. On the other hand, those who live in Ethiopia are near to real resource but they are under the gun. They are forced for self censorship. They are counting dark days in each morning.

With all those draw backs, I can see a better and bright day for the profession and mama Ethiopia. Finally, I would like to thank CPJ for your endless effort to protect the suppressive move on free journalists by the incumbent in Ethiopia.

Your comment is immature. Meles come from Tigray, but he doesn't represent Tigray. The people of Tigray never had given a chance to elect their representatives freely the same as other Ethiopians. Why are you generalizing? Are you really for Ethiopia? I doubt it. Meles is using the same thing dividing our people along ethnic, religious, etc lines. It looks like you are working for Meles/Issayas when you generalize your hate for the whole people.

I appreciate CPJ's financial, professional and moral assistance to many exiled journalists all over the world. I wish your support is also available here in Sweden where I have been an asylum seeker for the last five years. I understand Mekonen's frustration because I have been and am still through that terrible experience of not being able to practice my profession. But at least in his case he is lucky enough to get his work permit which I don't have. I tried to reach out local (Swedish) and Ethiopian medias in Stockholm but I haven't got any response from neither of them so far. I even googled if there're any association of Exiled Ethiopian Journalist;but I couldn't find any. Please let me know if anybody have any info with regard to such matters. Good luck Mekonen with your new and promising life in the land of opportunities and keep on trying.
Theodros
Stockholm, Sweden